11 hrs: 51 mins: 45s
by dumbacapellapotatoes
Summary: If a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soulmate, would you want to know? Jesse's certain Beca's his one; after three years together Beca still doesn't care much for the things but agrees to get the timers nonetheless. Now she has to deal with the fallout.
1. 11 hrs: 51 mins: 45s

**Heavy on the Beca/Jesse, but unfortunately necessary. Bechloe endgame. Beta'd as usual by my lovely girlfriend. Thank you, babe!  
**

* * *

Beca had decided when she was just thirteen, she would _not_ be getting a timer. She wasn't going to let some… _chip,_ tell her who to love, who the love of her life was supposed to be. Her parents had, and look how well that turned out for them. So much for being a perfect match.

She wasn't the only one without a timer of course. There were others, more than Beca had ever expected, and later in life, she learned there were some with blank timers. Those whose soulmates didn't have one themselves.

Beca hadn't ever felt any guilt over the possibility that her soulmate could be one of those people walking around with a blank timer and a broken spirit.

That is until she met one Chloe Beale.

Chloe actual-ray-of-sunshine Beale, who radiated love and positivity, who one day was going to make some undeserving bastard very happy had a blank timer. And as much as she claimed to have come to terms with it a long time ago Beca could see the underlying sadness. The air of hopelessness that seemed to burrow deeper and deeper as the years went by.

It was the first time Beca had spared a thought to her soulmate and hoped against all hope they weren't one of those people and if they ever found each other, they would be able to forgive her for all the years of pain she would've probably caused them.

And Beca thought of whoever Chloe's soulmate was and vowed that when—not if—Chloe ever found them, she was going to punch them in the face. _Hard._

For all the nights in the past four years, though few and far between, Chloe spent drunkenly crying on her shoulder wondering why her soulmate didn't have a timer. If she was ever going to meet them. If she even had one in the first place. It was some kind of bullshit that a girl like Chloe, lovable, beautiful, _vivacious_ Chloe walked around with so much sadness and despair bogging her down, all because of some fucking clock.

Maybe it was hypocritical and a little—a lot—selfish and more than a little cowardly but it only served to strengthen her resolve to never get one.

Then Jesse happened and Beca truly, honestly stopped feeling guilty. Sweet, kind, funny Jesse with the soulful, gentle eyes, the boyish smile and such a passion for life it eventually fueled her too. Jesse, who didn't have a timer either and firmly believed if he and his soulmate were meant to be, they would find each other without the help of some machine. He believed in the power of love and the inevitability of destiny.

He believed Beca to be his soulmate.

And Beca loved him. More than her emotionally stunted self ever thought she would be capable of.

Against all conceivable odds, their relationship had survived past the honeymoon stage and what Beca soon discovered was that though things had inevitably changed, their romantic relationship was smooth sailing. Jesse made her happy and their easy, uncomplicated relationship was what Beca wanted from a partner at that stage of her life.

It was almost enough to make her change her stance on the timers.

They talked about the possibility of finding out for sure if they were 'meant to be' often. But it was always in the abstract, the _idea_ of it more than anything. After a year together, Jesse had jokingly brought it up for the first time as they made their way to one of their usual date-night spots.

"You know, this whole dating deal isn't half bad."

Beca bumped her shoulder against his with an eye-roll, fighting a smile, "Excuse you, I am amazing."

"That you are. If I was ever gonna get a timer, it would be for you Beca Mitchell," he said with that stupid, goofy grin of his.

It made a ball of anxious energy settle low in Beca's stomach but she smiled nonetheless, "Same, Swanson. Same."

Conversations like that happened a few more times through the course of their relationship. "If we make it another year, we should _totally_ get those timers." Or "If we make it to graduation we're gonna do it." Then a year turned into two that unbelievably turned into almost three years and before anyone knew any better graduation was around the corner. Suddenly real life, adulthood, was waiting for them. Suddenly they were struggling to find reasons _not_ to bite the bullet.

They were in love, they were sure and committed… Weren't they? They'd been finding excuses not to do it for months. Jesse was set to start film school in LA a few weeks after graduation; Beca was staying in Georgia to finish her internship with Residual Heat. No one said it out loud but long distance wasn't for them. So was it even worth it to keep going without any guarantees? Beca knew deep down, it wasn't.

Already they were drifting apart. Maybe it was why Jesse was pushing so hard for them to find out for sure if they had a future.

He seemed so, so confident and Beca tried—without much success—to soak up some of that confidence for herself because truth be told, she was absolutely terrified.

There existed every possibility that they weren't soulmates and the thought that she wouldn't have his dumb, nerdy face in her life anymore was devastating.

So Beca put on a brave smile and held onto his hand like a lifeline as they walked into the small, corner building for their 12:00PM appointment. They were ushered into a back room with two large, reclining chairs and not much else. It reminded her a little of a dental procedure room, it was just as sterile and white too.

"Hi! I'm Sydney and I'll be installing your timers today," a preppy, brunette woman said as she entered the room with a big smile. A young man trailed behind her, that Beca assumed would be helping. Jesse had requested it was done simultaneously. "And this is Michael, he's gonna be my assistant today."

Beca sought out Jesse's warm, reassuring gaze once they were laying down side by side.

He smiled, that soft Jesse-smile of his and squeezed the hand he still hadn't let go. "You ready?" He asked.

Beca looked into his eyes for a long moment and nodded, "Ready," she whispered.

"I love you."

"I love you too, weirdo," she took a deep breath and let go of his hand.

She gave the woman—Sydney—a quick nod and presented the underside of her right arm to her. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought she might be having a heart attack. This was _such_ a bad idea.

"If you too are meant to be, as soon as you make eye contact your timers will beep at the very same time," the matchmaker explained.

She closed her eyes as cold metal pressed against her wrist then flinched as the timer pierced her skin and was implanted.

Jesse's eyes were already on her, wide and hopeful.

Beca held her breath and waited for the beep but the room stayed just as silent. She tore her gaze from his, looked down at her timer and gasped.

 _000d 11hrs 51mns 42s_

She stared at her wrist as her timer kept counting down, trying to figure out what the hell it meant. She vaguely remembered what that annoying commercial that played late at night sometimes said, " _The timer will zero out the night before you meet your perfect match. The next day it could beep at any moment."_

She was going to meet her soulmate within a day. God no. No, no, no. She was _so_ not ready for this.

The sharp sting of tears made itself present and Beca blinked them back focusing instead, on Jesse. He seemed frozen in place staring down at his own timer with an expression Beca had only seen a handful of times in the last four years. He looked so utterly disappointed a wave of sadness washed over Beca, "Jess."

Jesse startled and looked around the room, like he forgot where he was or that there was anyone else in the room, before settling his gaze on her. "I don't understand…" he said.

"Jess," she sighed, "I'm so sorry." Beca sat up slowly, swinging her legs over the side of the chair.

He looked down at his wrist again, brushing his thumb over the timer before he too sat up and lifted his arm so she could read the digits, offering a weak smile.

 _908d 11hrs 49mns 20s_

"Guess I have a while left until I find her."

"That's… That's almost two and a half years."

"Yeah."

Neither one spoke for a long time, looking at anything but each other until Jesse cleared his throat and asked the question Beca had been honestly dreading.

"What about yours? How long until the day you meet The One?" He asked.

Beca closed her eyes and released a rueful sigh, "a few hours. It um, it zeros out tonight."

"Woah, seriously?"

"Yup," Beca said with an eye roll, "Guess I lucked out or something."

"I think we should talk."

Beca hesitantly agreed even though she felt the entire situation had done all the talking for them already.

* * *

They made their way to a quaint, little coffee shop across the street and sat across from each other staring into their respective coffee cups in not-quite-tense yet no-quite-comfortable silence. Jesse was the one to break the silence this time.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

Beca blew a breath through pursed lips before responding, "I don't know. I don't think I'm ready."

"Bec, it's gonna be okay."

Would it be? How was she supposed to reconcile the fact that her three-year relationship was over and less than twenty-four hours later she'd be meeting the person she was supposedly destined to spend the rest of her life with? Eleven hours, six minutes and forty-three seconds were not enough time for her to heal and come to terms with this new development.

"Just because you're gonna know who it is, doesn't mean you have to jump into a relationship with them."

"God I know, Jess. But you know I never wanted this. The timers don't mean jack shit at the end of the day. I mean look at my parents. They were soulmates and look where that got them. My dad's married to someone else and my mom's been alone and unhappy since he left. They mean _nothing_ to me."

"Dude, just because your parents couldn't make it work doesn't mean you can't. Don't deny yourself happiness because you're scared," Jesse reached across the table to grasp Beca's hand tightly, "Remember why we wanted to do this, Beca."

Because they weren't on the same page anymore. Hadn't been for a long time. Because the insecurities and doubts were starting to overwhelm all the other aspects of their relationship. Because of all the nights _Beca_ had spent seeking solace and a shoulder to cry on in Chloe's bed for a change. Because above all else Beca wanted happiness for Jesse and he wanted the same for her.

Because love wasn't enough anymore.

"I know. It's not fair to keep going like this."

"Now we know. Now we get to move on."

"I'm almost offended you're so level-headed and calm right now," Beca pushed a hand through her hair, sighing.

This whole situation was so fucked up yet there Jesse sat, all calm and confident as ever. She could feel anger bubbling just underneath the surface, threatening to burst through. At him, for making her do this in the first place, undeservedly so, at whoever the hell her 'perfect match' was for having such crappy timing and a new wave of anger towards her parents for leaving her to deal with a lifetime of trust and commitment issues.

"Do you want me to freak out like you are right now?" He asked.

"I'm not freaking out!"

Jesse raised an eyebrow in answer, "Yeah okay."

Beca heaved a defeated sigh rolling her eyes toward the ceiling, "I'm gonna miss you, Jess."

"I'm gonna miss you too, Bec."


	2. The Mess I Made

**Enjoy. Beta'd by my wonderful girlfriend as always. Thanks, honey!**

* * *

The Bellas' house was unusually empty by the time Beca returned and though normally she'd appreciate the solitude and silence to work through her thoughts and emotions in peace, this time, it felt like it was stifling her, pressing in on her from all sides.

After a solid hour of trying to get started on Chloe's birthday mix—see: blankly staring at the screen while listening to the same section on a loop—without making any real progress she'd stormed out of the house and walked through campus, enjoying the scenery of the place that had become home. She didn't actually have a destination in mind but clearly, her subconscious did.

Before long she found herself standing at her father's doorstep. Her four years at Barden had gone a long way to help repair Beca's relationship with her father. It wasn't a stellar relationship by any means, nearly eleven years' worth of accusations and resentment had left a permanent scar in Beca's being, but it was a far cry from what it had once been.

Monthly dinners had become commonplace and he was actually involved in her life.

He'd made it to nearly every Bellas performance and had made an effort to get to know the girls. It was nice to have a parent be an active part of her life for once and now Beca could say—with only the slightest hint of bitterness in her voice—that she could trust and confide in her father.

So it was no wonder that she found herself seeking him out now. She rang the doorbell and waited anxiously until her father's delighted face greeted her.

"Bec! What a nice surprise," Warren said as he stepped aside, motioning for her to come inside, "What brings you by? I didn't think I'd be seeing you until Saturday."

"I um… wanted to talk to you about something. Maybe. If you have time," Beca said once they were in the living room.

"Of course, sweetheart. Is everything okay?" He asked.

Beca stared at her lap, nervously playing with her fingers as she pondered how to even go about asking the questions she'd had for so long. After a minute, she sighed and turned her wrist over displaying her new acquisition.

Beca saw the slight shock that passed through his features, but to his credit, he didn't do any of the things she had been expecting.

Warren merely looked back at his daughter with an expression that seemed almost apologetic, "When did… did this happen?"

"Today actually. Jesse wanted to, know, I guess. We broke up."

"I'm sorry, honey," He said, rubbing a hand up and down her back soothingly.

"What do I do dad? I'm not ready."

"Oh, Bec. No one ever thinks they are. But these things are one hundred percent accurate. Whoever this person is, will wait as long as it takes you to be ready," he said pulling her into his chest.

There had always been something so incredibly comforting about him and Beca had been hard press to admit it was one of the things she missed the most about him in her early teens. And one of the main reasons she'd resented him for so long.

"If they're so accurate, how come you and mom aren't together anymore?" Beca asked unable to keep the anger out of her tone.

Warren didn't answer for a long time, long enough Beca started to wonder if she would get an answer at all. Eventually, he tightened his arm around her shoulders and sighed, "I told your mother we should've talked to you about this a long time ago."

Beca pulled away, setting some distance between them so she could look at him as he talked.

"When you're mother and I met, we were very young and we both had a long, long countdown on our timers. More than twenty years," he started.

"Wait, what?" Beca frowned as she processed the new information.

"We had a lot in common, Laura and I. At first it was pretty casual, but we got in too deep," he continued with a far off look on his face like he was lost in the memories of years long gone. "We fell in love; and before long we were living together, married, talking about starting a family. We thought a clock would have nothing on what we had. Then we had you and it was the happiest we ever were."

"What happened?" She asked softly.

"We started to realize we needed more than what we had. That we really weren't such a perfect match after all," Warren walked across the room to a large bookshelf and produced an old photo album. He flipped through a few pages before sitting down next to her again. He pointed to a picture Beca had never seen before.

Warren and Laura Mitchell stood in an open field, at the top of a mountain, it seemed, with the distant view of a city behind them. They were wrapped up around each other, looking so young, happy and carefree it made Beca's heart ache a little. She had no memories of them ever being like that.

"We were so young Bec when we decided to get together. Instead of growing together, we grew apart. We started fighting more and more and disagreeing on the simplest things. The only thing we managed to agree on was that staying together for you wasn't fair to anyone."

"Has mom met hers?"

"No. It should be any day now though if I remember correctly."

"Why didn't you ever tell me? You basically lied to me my whole life."

"You were always so against them, Bec. When you turned fourteen and refused to let your mother make an appointment we decided not to force you. I figured we would find a more appropriate time, but then you met Jesse and seemed so happy there was no reason for us to potentially ruin it for you," He closed the album and set it on the table in front of them before returning his attention to her.

"Does that mean the Step-Monster's your soulmate?"

"Beca…" Her father said tiredly. A warning.

"Sorry, sorry. Is she, though?"

"Yes."

Well, that certainly put a spin on things. It's not like she could hold onto her grudge forever when really, her dad and Sheila had been destined to meet and be together from the beginning.

Stupid timers.

"What I'm saying is, your mom and I were so happy Bec I never thought it would get any better. I couldn't have imagined how much better and easier it was going to be with the right person. You have nothing to be afraid of honey, I promise," Warren said.

* * *

Having successfully avoided most of the Bellas upon her return, Beca was intent on staying in her room for the rest of the night. Stacie and Cynthia-Rose, who had been the only ones in the living room when she came in, had given her odd, mildly concerned looks. But they had quickly learned through the years to stay out of Beca's path when she got in a bad mood.

She was still in the process of powering up her equipment when her phone chimed with an incoming message.

She smiled knowing exactly who it was. Sappy, predictable, nerds these girls were.

 **Beale [6:40PM]:** _What's wrong, grumpy pants?_

 _Who said anything's wrong?_

Beca answered as she leaned back on the bed.

 **Beale [6:41PM]:** _Stace. And CR. What happened?_

Having Chloe as a best friend was sometimes a blessing and a curse. Chloe just… she cared _so much_ about everyone in her life, it had taken Beca some time to get used to having an unconditional source of support and encouragement by her side. From someone who didn't really have to be any of those things the first place.

And Beca knew, in the most rational parts of her brain, that Chloe wouldn't hold against her the fact that she'd somehow ended up with one of the shortest countdowns possible after years of insisting she'd never get a timer. Guilt still washed over her as she thought of the inevitable conversation.

But it probably wasn't something she should discuss over text while Chloe was in Miami for her brother's birthday.

She decided, finally, on what could probably classify as a half-truth.

 _Jesse and i broke up._

Instead of the text she'd been expecting, her phone lit up with an incoming call, Chloe's face beaming at her from the contact picture she'd set for herself on Beca's phone a few weeks ago. From their last group shopping trip, she remembered.

"Hey."

" _Hey. Are you okay, Bec?"_

Beca sighed, running a hand tiredly over her face. Was she? She honestly didn't even know. She wasn't hurting nearly as much as she thought she should've been, for having just ended a three-year relationship. That was what hurt the most, she guessed. "I don't know, honestly."

The background noise at the other end of the line became muffled then as Chloe, Beca guessed, moved away from the music and conversation she could just about make out.

" _Do you wanna talk about it?"_ Chloe asked gently.

"Not right now, no. Tell me about your trip home?"

Chloe was silent for a moment considering, Beca knew, whether to push the issue and make her open up or just this once, let her off the hook with the whole 'sharing your feelings' thing.

" _My brother dyed his hair blue,_ " Chloe started, launching into story after story of her long weekend at home.

Beca let herself fall into the chatter letting Chloe do most of the talking. If she had been paying more attention, she would've caught the underlying anxiety in Chloe's voice. And if she hadn't been so in her head, she would've recognized the restlessness that seemed to permeate the entire conversation.

"I really wish you were here," Beca said as Chloe was in the middle of what was supposed to be a funny story about her dog.

" _I- me too. I don't like you being alone tonight._ "

"When are you getting back?"

" _Not until Monday morning."_

 _Probably for the best,_ Beca thought. Chloe would be miles away when her timer zeroed out. When she met her soulmate. "I miss you, nerd."

Chloe laughed and Beca could so clearly see the smile that spread across her face and the way her eyes lit up in delight every time Beca willingly expressed her affection.

" _I miss you too, dork. I'll be there soon."_

"You better be."

" _It's late, I should let you go. And I should probably get back in there._ "

"Okay. Say hi to your brother and your parents. I'll um- I guess I'll see you Monday?"

" _Bright and early. Try to get some sleep, please. Love you, dork._ "

"Love you, nerd," Beca said with a smile.

* * *

Left to her own devices for the rest of the night Beca tossed and turned on the bed until she finally gave up sometime before midnight.

Amy was spending the night with Bumper so she thankfully had the room to herself, but it also meant there was no one readily available to distract her from the timer that was nearing zero. She briefly considered calling Chloe but it _was_ midnight. She was probably asleep.

She sat up against the headboard drawing her knees up to her chest and stared at her timer as it counted down its final minutes.

 _000d 00hrs 03mns 20s_

Beca wondered then if her soulmate, wherever he or she was, whoever he or she was, was staring at _their_ timer too. If they were as scared as she was in that moment, facing the reality of the situation. It was easy to distance yourself from it when you know it's not something you'll have to deal with for years to come but she—and by consequence her perfect match—had been left with no more than a few hours to adjust.

Tears unexpectedly filled her eyes as the countdown reached zero.

 _000d 00hrs 00mns 00s_

She let her head fall back against the headboard and tears filled with pent up anxiety, sadness and if she was completely honest maybe a little anticipation, fall freely down her cheeks.

* * *

After a restless night of tossing, turning and worrying Beca had resolutely decided to not step foot out of the house today.

If the only people she saw today where the Bellas, there was no way she'd meet her perfect match. That was totally how it worked right?

Right.

She'd dressed in an old, faded flannel shirt and left the sleeves down. The last thing she needed was one of the girls seeing the damn thing and ruining her plan.

But of course, plans never go the way you want them to.

Having Chloe out of town for the weekend, the girls had resorted to Beca's weak-spots to get her to sit through some superhero, action movie after a late breakfast plying her with sweets and popcorn.

'Bonding Time' Amy had called it. More like 'Torture Time'.

They were nearing the end of the movie when the front door opened.

Chloe walked into the room, duffle bag slung over her shoulder and try as she might Beca couldn't keep her eyes off of her in that moment.

Beca looked into Chloe's eyes—how had she never noticed how blue her eyes were before then?—red-rimmed and tired but brimming with excitement and it was like everything moved in slow motion from there.

A hush fell over the room as two, distinct, melodic chimes reverberated across the walls.

Beca could feel the Bellas' eyes on her burning holes through her skull and the unspoken questions dying to burst forth.

But all she saw, all she knew in that single moment was Chloe.


	3. Perfect Match

**First off, I apologize for the lengthy wait. I hit a bad case of writer's block and struggled to get this written in a way I was happy with. But alas it seems to have cleared. We have reached the end of this story, but to those of you who were asking, there might be a companion piece from Chloe's POV. When? I have no idea.**

 **As usual, thank you to my amazing girlfriend for being my beta putting up with me being a zombie for the better part of a week as I tried to get this written. 3 You're the best.**

 **A special shout-out to Isadora for being my sounding board and the endless amount of cheerleading and to Emily for the advice and cheering me up yesterday with her awesome writing. You guys rock!**

 **Lastly, thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited and left kudos, you guys make it all worthwhile.**

 **On with the story, enjoy!**

* * *

First, she stopped breathing.

' _Hi! Any interest in joining our a cappella group?'_

Then reality hit her like a ton of bricks, square in the face. Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. This had to be some kind of sick twisted joke.

' _Help turn our dreams into a reality?'_

It was like watching through an old, skipping roll of film. The memories kept coming, fast and burning, re-branding themselves in Beca's brain, digging the stake in her heart in deeper. The look in Chloe's eyes just about killed her.

' _How high does your belt go?'_

' _I think, that we're gonna be really fast friends.'_

The puzzle pieces started falling into place right in front of her but the picture they were painting was one Beca didn't want to see the finished product of.

' _You are going to make someone so happy someday, Chloe Beale. Don't you dare give up on that.'_

She wondered how much more resistant she'd have been to the idea of coming to Barden at all, knowing then she'd meet her soulmate here.

She also couldn't help but think about all the what-if's and could have been's. About how different that first meeting at the activities fair would've gone if she'd had her timer. When they locked eyes across the quad and her heart literally skipped a beat. She remembered, even now, moving as if on auto-pilot drawn in by those unfairly gorgeous, blue eyes.

What was it that thing her father had said as she was leaving? _'The timer won't tell you who to love, Bec. It just… confirms what you already know.'_

Fuck. Didn't she already know, somewhere buried in the deep recess of her heart, that it was never going to work with Jesse? Hadn't she figured out long ago her feelings for her best friend went far deeper than those of just a close friendship?

She thought about all the years of uncertainty and all the tears shed on her account. Tears that were currently streaming down Chloe's face unimpeded.

It was that thought registering in her brain that made Beca snap out of her reprieve. Pandemonium had exploded around them in a cacophony of shouts and exclamations she could just about make sense of. Where before the room seemed to move in slow-motion, now it felt like it was spinning at warp-speed, out of control. Questions kept coming left and right and she wasn't sure but Emily seemed to be crying.

 _When did you get a timer!?_

 _You got a timer?_

 _When did_ yours _start counting down?_

 _No fucking way._

Someone grabbed hold of her arm to push her sleeve up and presumably take a look at her timer herself. Jessica, Beca belatedly realized. She shook herself out of the girl's grasp and stood.

Beca's first instinct was to run. Run far away and possibly never look back, but she could never stand to see Chloe crying least of all when she knew those tears were because of her.

She stepped forward but it only made Chloe take a step back.

"Chloe," came out in a sort of whispered croak Beca didn't recognize as her own voice.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Chloe asked, her voice tiny and vulnerable. Heartbreak played out over her features clear as day.

Beca wanted so much to gather her in her arms and just make it go away. The urge was so strong—stronger than she ever remembered it being—it actually surprised her. Where the hell were all these feelings coming from all of a sudden?

"Why didn't you?" Answering a question with a question. Not cowardly at all. Beca was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that they were in a room full of people. She could feel the Bellas' attention intently focused on them, it pressed against her from all sides making the room feel ten times smaller. "No offense guys, but can you, like, scram?" She called over her shoulder.

The Bellas snapped into action, hastily filing out of the room, practically falling over themselves to get away from the increasingly tense atmosphere.

Once alone it seemed they couldn't meet each other's eye. The air in the room seemed to crackle and splinter with the growing tension.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Chloe asked again, softly, as she moved into the room, setting down her bag in the entryway.

Beca sighed as she sat on the arm of the couch. "I didn't wanna hurt you," she mumbled, half hoping Chloe wouldn't hear her.

The twitch of Chloe's lips told her she'd been heard.

"Why didn't you?" She asked looking up at Chloe through her eyelashes. "You've been waiting for so long, I figured you'd be dying to tell everyone immediately."

Chloe walked to stand in front of her, nudging Beca's knees apart with one of her own. She promptly made herself at home in the cradle of Beca's legs and looped her arms around Beca's neck.

Beca couldn't resist the urge to reach up and brush her thumbs under Chloe's eyes to wipe the tears away and let her hand linger on a damp cheek. Chloe leaned into the touch and Beca's heart gave a hard thud in her chest at the little sigh that escaped Chloe's lips as new tears met Beca's palm. "Fuck, please don't cry."

"I was fourteen when I got mine, Becs," Chloe said, whispered low and unevenly through the tears. "I've been waiting for this moment for almost eleven years."

Beca felt her heart break into a million little pieces. Sudden, frantic desperation rose in her chest and the overwhelming need to go back in time and slap her thirteen-year-old self until she agreed to get the stupid chip implanted was actually, physically stifling. Apologies were tumbling out of her lips in an instant as she gripped the back of Chloe's shirt hard. "I'm so, so, _so_ sorry Chloe." She unconsciously tipped forward, her forehead nestling in the crook of Chloe's neck.

"You didn't know."

 _But I should have,_ was the thought that immediately took hold. "I hurt you, for so long and I'm always gonna be sorry about that. I don't ever want you to feel like that again."

"What do we do now?"

A humorless snort of laughter made it past Beca's lips, "hell if I know, Beale."

In the relative silence of the room and with her emotions more or less settling, Beca felt strangely exposed in the open space even though they were alone. As alone as they could be with the girls no doubt trying to eavesdrop on them. She broke away from their embrace slowly and looked into Chloe's eyes searchingly.

There was pain swirling in those baby blues, made brighter by the tears, but underneath it, Beca could see a sort of peaceful serenity that had been missing before. She reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Chloe's ear. "We'll figure it out."

Beca wordlessly led Chloe back to her room, hands firmly clasped together. They settled into Chloe's bed in a tangle of limbs, seeking each other's comfort and familiarity.

Chloe burrowed deeper into Beca's chest with a shuddering breath that soon turned into body-wracking sobs.

Beca tightened her hold on Chloe, whispering reassurances into her ear. "It's okay, you're okay. I've got you; let it all out. You're okay, we're okay and we're gonna figure this out, I promise."

* * *

"I now present to you Barden University's graduating class of 2015!"

An explosion of jubilant shouts erupted around Beca as her vision was overwhelmed by her fellow graduate's Barden green caps and gowns. As the euphoria of the moment died down she searched for her Bellas in the mass of people.

She knew Emily and Aubrey were somewhere in the crowd of spectators and because they were seated alphabetically, most of the girls were near the front. Her phone soon started vibrating with incoming messages to the group chat as she pushed her way through the throng of students and family toward the stage nearby where she figured Chloe would be. Beca scanned her surroundings for Chloe's signature red hair but came up empty.

 **CR [4:15PM]:** _Where you pitches at? Already found Legs._

Attached was a selfie with Stacie where she pressed a sloppy kiss to Cynthia-Rose's cheek.

 **Fat-Amy [4:15PM]:** _Got the aca-child w/ me._

 **DJ B [4:16PM]:** _Meet you guys back at the house in a few._

She exited the group chat and pulled up her message thread with Chloe.

 _Where are you? Almost out front, can't see you :(_

A body collided with hers and arms wound around her mid-drift from behind tightly. A familiar pair of lips made its presence known on her neck briefly. "Hi!"

"Hey, you." Beca turned in Chloe's arms to be met with a brilliant smile. Chloe had several inches on her thanks to her heels and Beca had to look up at her a little bit. She looped her arms around Chloe's neck loosely, drawing her in for a kiss. "You're officially a college graduate, how's it feel?"

"Freeing," Chloe answered.

"I bet… Come take a walk with me?"

She intertwined her fingers with Chloe's leading them away from the ceremony grounds and toward Barden Pond. They made idle chatter on the way and Beca hoped she didn't seem as nervous as she felt.

In the weeks since finding out they were soulmates, there had been plenty of conversations. Where they were going, what it meant for them—individually and together, where to even begging to repair the damages that had been done.

They were still figuring out their path but one thing Beca had made clear from the beginning: wherever they went, whatever came next they would face it together. Yet, she still felt like there was more she could do solidify her commitment. They'd be traveling to Copenhagen in a week and after that, it was all still very much up in the air.

It terrified her that their post-Barden plans might still take them in very different directions.

Beca heaved a sigh as they neared the edge of the pond. She led them toward a massive Oak tree that offered plenty of shade and sat down with her back against the trunk and patted the space next to her where Chloe promptly settled in.

"So, I've been thinking about… us and," she pointed at the space between them, "this."

Chloe bit her bottom lip and smiled softly, "And?" She prompted.

"And I want you to know," she reached for Chloe's hand and brought it up to her lips to place a lingering kiss along her knuckles, "I'm one-hundred percent committed to us. No matter what, Chlo."

"I know."

Beca sighed again, willing herself to follow through with her plan. She reached into the depths of her robe where she'd had Stacie sew a pocket where she could keep her phone along with her present for Chloe.

Chloe gasped when Beca produced the small box she'd stashed inside her robe before leaving the house.

She turned it around in her hands before she nervously lifted her gaze to Chloe's.

"Beca…"

Beca audibly swallowed and opened the box.

Chloe's eyes widened as she examined the ring nestled inside. Sunlight filtered through the branches making it sparkle, "Beca what-"

"Chill, I'm not, like, proposing or anything. It's not, it's not an engagement ring," Beca said with an eye roll. She kept her eyes on the ring as she talked, "It's um, it's a promise ring."

Beca heard Chloe's sigh of relief but she couldn't bring herself to make eye contact. Not yet. She had to say her peace first. "It's not a promise of marriage or whatever either. It's my promise that, no matter what happens you'll have me in your corner. I don't know what's out there for us in a month or a year or a decade, but I know I don't ever want you to feel alone. Not to be cheesy…er, but if you'll let me, I'll be your flashlight." She released a teary laugh that Chloe echoed a second later.

Beca finally made herself look Chloe in the eye again, "I'm always gonna be there to make sure you're safe and protected and cared for," she took the ring out of the box and rang her thumb over the engraving on the inside of the band.

 _Always._

"Whatever that means. Whatever you need from me. Always."

With trembling hands, Beca slipped the ring over Chloe's left ring finger, it caught on her knuckle for a moment before it settled in its new home. "I love you, Chloe Beale."

"Oh, Beca Mitchell," Chloe leaned forward meeting Beca halfway for a bruising kiss. Her hand slid into Beca's hair to keep her firmly in place as the kiss reached it's natural, comfortable end. "I love you too."


End file.
